British criticize U.S. use of airstrikes

Civilian deaths turning Afghans against troops

August 9, 2007|By CARLOTTA GALL The New York Times

SANGIN, Afghanistan — A senior British commander in southern Afghanistan said recently that he had asked that U.S. Special Forces leave his area of operations because the high level of civilian casualties they had caused was making it difficult to win over local people.

Other British officers in Helmand province, speaking on condition of anonymity, criticized U.S. Special Forces for causing most of the civilian deaths and injuries in their area. They also expressed concerns that the Americans' extensive use of air power was turning the people against the foreign presence as British forces were trying to solidify recent gains against the Taliban.

A U.S. military spokesman denied that the request for U.S. forces to leave was ever made, either formally or otherwise, or that they had caused most of the casualties.

But the episode underlines differences of opinion among NATO and U.S. military forces in Afghanistan on tactics for fighting Taliban insurgents and concerns among soldiers about the consequences of the high number of civilians being killed in fighting.

A precise tally of civilian casualties is difficult to pin down, but one reliable count puts the number killed in Helmand this year close to 300, the majority of them caused by foreign and Afghan forces rather than the Taliban.

"Everyone is concerned about civilian casualties," the senior British commander said. "Of course it is counterproductive if civilians get injured, but we've got to pick up the pack of cards that we have got. Other people have been operating in our area before us."

After 18 months of heavy fighting, the British commanders say they are finally making headway in securing key areas such as this town and are now in the difficult position of trying to win back support among local people whose lives have been devastated by aerial bombing.

British forces arrived in Helmand last spring and now have command of the province with about 6,000 personnel deployed, with small units of Estonian and Danish troops. U.S. Special Forces have continued to assist in fighting insurgents, operating as advisers to Afghan national security forces.

It is these small teams that are coming under criticism, since their tactic is to work in small units that rely on airstrikes for cover because of their inability to defend themselves if they encounter large groups of insurgents. Such Special Forces teams have often called in airstrikes.

While some of the victims and local people blame the Taliban for bringing violence to Helmand, hostility and bitterness toward the foreign forces remains.

"The Americans are killing and destroying a village just in pursuit of one person," said Mahmadullah, 24, referring to al-Qaida's leader, Osama bin Laden. "So now we have understood that the Americans are a curse on us, and they are here just to destroy Afghanistan."